Typical sea day for us. After a Lido breakfast, we walked the promenade of the ship. Played some slots. Chuck played some cards while I went to the Crow’s Nest to read and drink coffee.
Hot tub time in the afternoon. Then we were invited to another Mariner’s Reception back in the Gallery Bar. More people got their medallions for their sea days. We chatted with the other guests and enjoyed drinks and appetizers.
More slot play. Then it was time for another Pinnacle Grill meal. I again had the shrimp cocktail, but I chose lamb chops for the main course. Chuck had the crab cakes, and he chose the Jidori chicken breast. We split a cheese plate for dessert. We were too busy talking and I forgot to take any photos.
We had looked up the meaning of “Jidori.” Google to the rescue – Jidori chicken is a term that originated in Japan, where “jidori” translates to “from the ground.” It refers to a unique breed of chicken that is painstakingly raised with utmost care and attention to quality. Jidori chickens are reared in small flocks and provided with specialized diets to ensure their overall well-being, resulting in a chicken that is remarkably flavorful, tender, and succulent.Jidori chicken is generally more expensive than regular chicken due to its superior quality and the meticulous care involved in its rearing. However, the enhanced dining experience and superior flavor it provides make it worth the investment for many connoisseurs.
I asked Chuck if the chicken tasted better than other chicken he has had. He said it was good but couldn’t say it was better than others but maybe he is just not a chicken connoisseur. 🤷♀️😊
We ended the night with three sets of the Rolling Stone Lounge band. We opted not to go to the HAL singers and dancers show.
There were many bags in the hallway last night and they were gone this morning. Because we were taking the ship back to Boston, today was not disembarkation day for us. We would have liked to have slept in, but the disembarkation announcements started at 7:00. Because we were here overnight, the ship had been cleared so people could disembark as early as 6:00 if they carried their own bags.
Once the announcements were over, we knew that it wouldn’t be long before new passengers would be embarking. If we wanted to get off the ship and go back to Quebec City, we could have as we had received our in-transit tickets. Those tickets let you by-pass some of the lines of people getting on today. However, you still have to go through security, and it is always the longest line.
We opted to stay onboard because the day was overcast and drizzly. I was pleasantly surprised that we did not have to report somewhere and get counted for Customs. We’ve always had to do that on previous B2B cruises.
We told our room stewards not to worry about cleaning our room today as they were very busy getting rooms ready for the new guests and would then have to start delivering luggage. They just exchanged our towels for us. I think they were grateful they could check us off their list for the day.
We took advantage of the hot tubs this morning. Once we saw people walking through the area with their backpacks and/or carry-ons we knew the embarkation had begun and the area was getting ready to be crowded again.
We were too wet from the hot tub to go into the Lido restaurant. We saw that the Dive-In had opened so we just went to a table near the pool. I tried out the feature on the HAL Navigator app to order us some lunch. Worked just fine. I got notified when our order was ready, and I could pick it up. Nicer than having to stand in line to order and get a beeper to let you know it’s ready.
After lunch, Chuck thought it was a good time for a nap. I decided to take my book and go to the Crow’s Nest to read. After a while, he found me up there and we decided to play a game of Scrabble. Many people bring their own card games, etc., but the Crow’s Nest has a nice selection of games also. He wanted me to be sure to let you know that he beat me by 13 points. 😒
The sailaway on the SeaView deck was subdued because of the weather but we left promptly at 5:00.
We had a couple of cocktails in the Ocean Bar and decided to eat dinner in the main dining room tonight. We always choose “Anytime Dining” which allows you to go to the dining room between the hours of 5:00 and 9:00. You can also make reservations on the Navigator app. However, we don’t usually think that far ahead and just show up when we decide we are hungry. The line to get in is usually short.
We typically don’t eat dinner in the main dining room on the first night of the cruise because it always seems so hectic. I was hoping tonight would be different. It was not. The waiters and their assistants were working hard to keep all the guests happy. I had the haddock, and Chuck had the pork medallions. We skipped dessert.
Google photo of pork medallions – got distracted by the hustle and bustle and forgot to take a photo
By the time we finished dinner, the Casino was opened so we played some slots. We didn’t go to the comedian’s show because it was a repeat for us from last week. We listened to two sets of the Rolling Stone Lounge Band and then called it a night.
The last time we were in Quebec, we were on the Zaandam which is a smaller ship than the Zuiderdam. The Zaandam was able to dock right at the city center within a short walking distance of the Old City. The Zuiderdam had to be a few miles away at an industrial port. The port offered a shuttle to the Museum of Civilization.
Our destination was the Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac. The last time we took a tour of Quebec, we got to see a lot of places. However, we only drove by this famous hotel.
I wanted to see the inside and decided to take one of the hour tours that are offered by various companies. So, we took an Uber directly to the hotel. The meeting place was on the Dufferin Terrace in front of the hotel.
Tour Description: Guided Tour of the Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac in Quebec City – With a grand perch in the heart of the Old City, the Fairmont Le Château Frontenac is among Québec City’s most iconic and historic places—and you don’t have to be a guest to check out the interior. Join a guide in period costume for a tour that explores the outside and inside of the grand chateau, and learn about the landmark’s history, architecture, and colorful characters.
The day was gorgeous – sunny and hot. We got there about 45 minutes before the start of the tour. We sat in the shade and watched the action on the river. The Volendam, the sister ship of the Zaandam, was docked at the City Center. Lucky her.
Our guide arrived right on time and we ended up with about 15 people in our group. He was funny and very knowledgeable.
He talked about its history while we were outside and then he was able to show us some of the public rooms inside. The hotel was very busy. We may have thought it was expensive to stay there but apparently many people didn’t share that view.
I especially liked the last story that talked about a couple who spent their honeymoon there, walked down the split staircase, each made a wish, and kissed when they both got to the bottom of the staircases. They never told each other their wish until they celebrated their 60th anniversary when they came back to the hotel. He encouraged each person to walk down the staircases, make a wish, and then come back to the hotel. Of course, Chuck and I emulated the couple in the story and took separate staircases, met at the bottom and kissed. We have not told each other our wish.
Once the tour was over, we took another Uber back to the ship. It was still so warm that Chuck actually got into the pool. I got into the hot tubs, but I thought the pool was too cool.
It was soon time to get ready for our second Pinnacle Grill dinner. Tonight, I ordered the Lobster Bisque and Halibut. Chuck ordered the crab cakes again and Beef Tenderloin with Lobster Dumplings. I had the Creme Brulee for dessert. He had some vanilla ice cream.
Because we were docked in Quebec City overnight, the Casino was closed. We participated in the Music Trivia: Songs of the 80’s. You have to know the song title and the artist. Three other people let us join them. We did okay but didn’t win. We went to the second comedy show of John Wing. We listened to one set of the Rolling Stone Lounge Band and then called it a night.
Tomorrow: Quebec City, Quebec (Disembarkation/Embarkation)
After coffee, we went for a stroll around the ship’s promenade. We had not yet reached the part of the River where you could see land so it looked just like a calm sea to us.
Chuck decided he wanted some hot tub time before we got ready to go to today’s sea day brunch. It was too windy for the Sea View hot tubs, so he stayed in the hot tubs in the covered Lido area. I just took my book and read at one of the tables.
We went to the main dining room for Brunch. We were seated at a table for eight. They immediately sat six of us at the table. Then, they brought another woman to the table but as soon as she was seated, she got up, set her purse in the chair, and said she was going to go get her sister. Okay. In the meantime, another woman walked up to the table who knew one of the couples and asked if she could join the table.
They said yes but the rest of us said that the other woman was coming back with her sister. So, the couple said they would leave and go to another table with her. Just as they were getting up, the first woman came back, got her purse, said she didn’t know where her sister was and was leaving. Geez – what a cluster – I am not going to get any food.
Once the dust settled, the three couples and the friend of the one couple were at the table. I was seated between Chuck and the man who was part of the couple who were going to leave. I think the two women were the friends because they talked non-stop.
Chuck talked to the couple to his right who were new to HAL and wanted to know about the casino play. The man to my left said he was a physicist, liked to wear overalls on cruises because he doesn’t wear them at home (he was wearing it now), and he and his wife had been married for 3 years after he was divorced for 14 years and was tired of dating women much younger than he was. Okay – I just asked him if he was enjoying this cruise. I downed my first mimosa, ordered another one, and prayed my food would get there soon.
I ordered the fruit and goat cheese for the appetizer and crab and hot smoked salmon cakes for the main. Chuck ordered the biscuits with gravy, New England boiled beef, and fried egg. We got our appetizers (except Chuck who didn’t order one) and everyone finished – except the one lone woman who wouldn’t eat because she was talking so much. I saw that the main courses had been delivered from the kitchen but were sitting at the serving station.
Typically, at a shared table, you won’t get served the next course until everyone has finished the current course. At the rate the woman was eating, the main dishes were going to be cold. Nope – I signaled the waiter that we wanted our main course served. Rude? Sorry – enough is enough. The waiter seemed relieved that he could start clearing dishes and move the meal along. The woman was still talking, and he did not take her plate. He just put her main course next to it.
So, we all got our food except Chuck. The waiter came up and said he’d go see what the problem was. He came back a few minutes later with the plate and said the delay was that Chuck had ordered his eggs to be fried hard and the first plate didn’t look like hard eggs, so his meal was redone. Sounds better than they just forgot his order.
I was glad that at least the food was good. Neither Chuck nor I ordered dessert, so we said our good-byes when the desserts arrived. The woman was still talking.
Did I get any photos of the meal? No, I did not. I was so flustered that I completely forgot, and I just kept my head down and scarfed up the food like a ravenous wildebeest.
We went up to the Sea View area so I could regroup. Watching the scenery along the river helped.
Wasn’t too long before it was time to go to the Gallery Bar for the 5-star Mariner reception and medallion ceremony. One couple received their silver medallions (300 days at sea). One couple received their gold medallions (500 days at sea). They introduced one woman who had over 2000 days at sea. Sometimes a luncheon follows these ceremonies but today we were served drinks and appetizers. We enjoyed the reception and chatting with the other guests.
Portion of the Gallery BarPrevious award ceremony on a different HAL ship. Medallions L-R: Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum
Our evening was low key. We didn’t want to go to the HAL singer and dancer show since we were not that impressed with the first one. We decided to eat dinner in the Lido.
Afterwards, we played a couple of hours in the Casino and called it a night. Chuck received a gift from the Casino hosts.
We arrived at Charlottetown at 9:00 but our tour was not until 1:45. While Chuck slept in, I got a latte and walked around the ship’s promenade. I took some photos and listened to the musician channel his inner Jimmy Buffet. I may have been his only audience as most people were rushing into the visitor center to start their day in Charlottetown.
Singing his heart out with an audience of one who had to use the zoom lens.
The last time we were in Charlottetown we took a food/history walking tour of the historic area.
Today our plan was to see the countryside of PEI. And you can’t see the countryside without a stop at the Anne of Green Gables farmstead.
Google stock photo
HAL Tour Description: Explore PEI — Canada’s tiniest and perhaps most charming province, famous for its red earth and white beaches.
A panoramic drive takes you through the historic streets where the Charlottetown Conference led to the Confederation of Canada. Enjoy picturesque views of the rolling hills as you head through the countryside to the North Shore.
You’ll stop at Green Gables — the farmstead that inspired the setting for L.M. Montgomery to create her beloved tale of a red-haired orphan, Anne of Green Gables.
Visit Prince Edward Island National Park to savor incredible scenery, and you will pass through pastoral farmland en route back to the ship in Charlottetown.
We ate lunch in the Lido before getting ready for the tour. We packed our rain gear because it was getting very overcast, and rain was predicted around 2:00.
The bus was comfortable, and the guide was enthusiastic. She told us a lot about Prince Edward Island and some of its famous residents including Lucy and Lucifer – two ducks who for many years laid their eggs in the grocery store parking lot and would get police protection while they sat on the eggs and then a parade when the ducklings hatched, and the family made their way back to the pond.
Of course, it started raining just as we arrived at the Green Gables farmstead. There were a lot of Anne of Green Gables fans on the bus. I have to admit I don’t remember ever reading the books. I was more of a Nancy Drew girl myself. I was mostly interested in the tour to see the countryside. I was definitely in the minority.
However, I enjoyed learning about the author and seeing the house furnishings. I was disappointed that it was raining so hard that exploring the gardens was out of the question. We got an hour at the house and museum, but the docents move you through the house pretty rapidly and the museum was small so, in my opinion, we were there 30 minutes too long. But, if we had a chance to go through the gardens, an hour would have been about right. Who knows – maybe I will read the series to see what I missed.
Lego model in the museumAuthor as a young girlAuthor in her primeWish I could have walked the paths
On our way back to Charlottetown, we did a short drive through the National Park. It was still raining so we didn’t leave the bus and my photos out of the rainy bus windows were poor. Would be nice to spend more time there.
We got back to the ship right before “all aboard” time. Since it was a HAL tour, I was not concerned that we were cutting it close.
After a late night yesterday and a long day today, we ordered room service and stayed in for the evening. It is nice that HAL still offers a pretty extensive room service menu that doesn’t require an extra charge. It took about 30 minutes to arrive, and the BLTs were hot and fresh. So good, I forgot to get a photo. Sigh
Because we were not arriving at the port of Sydney until 11:00, the ship offered a variety of things to do this morning. Most people were planning to go to the “Ask the Captain” seminar in the World Stage. They are interesting presentations but I was more interested in going to the Future Cruise Consultant’s presentation on … wait for it … future cruises.
Once I watched her presentation, I went down to her desk to sign up for a consultation for that afternoon.
When I went back to the cabin, I saw a sign in the hallway indicating the bow was open. I had heard no announcement about it, but I got my camera and headed out.
The Captain doesn’t open the bow often. However, today was a beautiful day and it would be nice to see Sydney come into view. I was shocked when I went out and realized I was the only person out there. I maintained that status for about 15 minutes when others started to arrive. I know there must not have been any loudspeaker announcement because other times (especially in the Panama Canal) the bow is very crowded if it gets opened.
Once I had finished taking photos, I went inside and found Chuck at the Sea View area and we got a Lido lunch. We let the big rush of people disembark before we made our way off the ship.
The last time we were in Sydney our walk was interrupted by a big protest march by some union workers.
Today we finished that walk in the historic district. We spent about an hour walking the few blocks and admiring the architecture and yard art.
When we came back to the ship, Chuck decided he would like to try the hot tubs and pool. I needed to get to my appointment with the Future Cruise Consultant. I was a little early but the couple in front of me finished up and she called me next. We talked for a while, and I ended up booking two cruises for 2026. Yay!
Wasn’t long before it was time to get ready for our Canaletto dinner. We both stuck to our favorites – Chuck with the meatball appetizer and ossobuco for the main course and me with tiger shrimp appetizer and rack of lamb. We split some gelato for dessert. As always, we enjoyed our meal there.
By the time we finished the meal, we had sailed away from Sydney and the Casino was opened. Some people are so ready for it to open; they will go sit in front of their favorite machine 30 minutes before just to be sure no one else gets it. We’ve not done that, but we might if we ever won really big on one of the machines.
We went to the 9:00 show of the comedian John Wing. We both thought he had a very funny show. I described it to people as PG.
Performance on America’s Got Talent – 2o13
Once it was over, I called it a night and Chuck went back to the Casino to play some cards.
We had to set our clocks one hour forward last night. I was glad we didn’t have early plans for this morning. They also announced we would not have to have any face-to-face Canadian customs inspection. Yay!
We took the opportunity to have breakfast in the Main Dining Room. We were seated with a couple from Canada and a couple from Georgia. We had an enjoyable conversation. I like eating breakfast in the main dining room if I don’t have to be somewhere quickly.
Once we exited the ship, we decided to spend the day on the Hop-On / Hop-Off bus. However, what we failed to realize, until we saw them, was that there were two other ships in port today and many of their passengers were in line for the HOHO busses too. It was also very cloudy and threatening rain.
We still hopped on the bus but decided just to stay on for the whole route which took about 90 minutes. Since we would be back to Halifax next week, I hoped that the weather would be better then, and we could go to one or two of the sites we saw on the trip today.
It was a double-decker bus, and we were on the top deck. It was covered so I wasn’t concerned about getting rained on. It was kind of stuffy, so I was able to lower the window a little for a breeze. However, I had to contend with tree limbs trying to poke through and smack my head.
We enjoyed listening to the driver give the history of Halifax. He spent quite a bit of time talking about the Halifax explosion of 1917. He had relatives who lost their lives in that explosion. Of course, no tour of Halifax would be complete without a discussion of the Titanic.
Once we got back to the ship, we had some lunch in the Lido and then relaxed in the Sea View area. Stayed overcast but never started raining.
Time passed quickly and we were ready for our first dinner in the Main Dining Room. I was surprised the line was as long as it was. I was glad it moved quickly.
We both had clam chowder. I had the spaghetti alle vongole for my main course. Chuck had the beef short ribs. We each had carrot cake for dessert.
Google photo – I ate my dinner before thinking about a photo
After spending time in the Casino, we went to the 9:00 show of Breton Thunder. They are a Nova Scotia band, and we thought they were excellent. I think their sound was a lot like Kentucky Bluegrass.
Once it was over, we went to the last set of the Rolling Stone Lounge band. It was called the “Summer of Love,” and they played songs from Janis Joplin, Creedence Clearwater Revival, and Jimi Hendrix. Good for listening – not great for dancing.
Once they finished, we called it a night. I was happy to see our laundry had been returned.
I was heading up to the Crow’s Nest for our vanilla latte (me) and Americano (Chuck) when I heard the announcement that the tenders (water shuttles) were ready to start taking people over to Bar Harbor. Since we didn’t have a HAL tour planned, we received instructions on where to pick up our tender tickets to go over at our leisure. The weather was predicted to be beautiful, and it was. Sunny, warm, and breezy.
Not all ships who want to go to Bar Harbor can go. Bar Harbor, like many other popular port cities, have started limiting the number of ships that can show up in one day. I don’t know how the cities pick which ship(s) get to stop on any given day, but I was glad the Zuiderdam was the one allowed today.
Once we finished our breakfast in the Lido and I got a bag of laundry ready to send out, we picked up our tender tickets. We didn’t have to wait long for our number to be called because the bulk of the passengers had left on the earliest tenders.
Once we exited at the Bar Harbor port area, we turned left and soon found the signs pointing to the start of the path. We followed it just admiring the scenery of Frenchman’s Bay and chatting with fellow path walkers. We even met some Dawg fans who were staying at one of the Bed & Breakfast places. Unfortunately, part of the path was blocked because of some storm damage that had not been completely repaired.
At that point, we veered off the path and walked back to the tender port area via the downtown area and Agamont Park. There were several people eating large ice cream cones. One woman who volunteered to take our picture said that we had to get one at Jordan Pond Ice Cream and Fudge shop if we loved homemade ice cream. Yes, please. Who doesn’t love homemade ice cream?
Chuck chose a scoop of mango and I chose a scoop of blueberry. The combo was delicious.
We made it back to the ship before the designated lunch hours were over and I decided to try their avocado rolls along with a salad. I thought the rolls were kind of bland. Needed some wasabi.
With such an exhausting morning 🙄, an afternoon nap was definitely in order. We woke up in time to get ready to listen to a set from the Third Avenue West ensemble in the Ocean Bar and our first Pinnacle Grill dinner. Sleep – Eat – Repeat.
I chose my standard – jumbo shrimp cocktail, seared scallops, and key lime pie. Chuck chose crab cakes, halibut, and a cheese plate. We shared an order of candied bacon. I loved everything except the key lime pie. I thought this version was just too sweet.
We went to the first set of the Rolling Stone Lounge Band. Next, we went to the HAL singer and dancers’ show – “All That”. From the show description, I thought it was going to be songs from old variety shows. Instead, to me, it was just random songs from different eras. I didn’t have any problem with their performance. I just didn’t get the theme.
We ended the night with the last set of the Rolling Stone Lounge and some slot playing in the Casino.
And they are still calling passengers’ names to turn in their Canadian customs form which was due yesterday. What is the problem? The form took all of 3 minutes. Just fill it out for crying out loud.
Ended up getting up at 5:30 again. The air conditioner was loud and woke me up every time it kicked on, but it did have cold air. Our bathroom walk-in shower had a rain shower type of shower head. I am not a fan. I just can’t get the water pressure strong enough. It also did not have a safety bar or bathmat. Have to be cautious.
We had our luggage tagged with the cruise tags and the color dots given to us at the hotel and ready to be picked up. We were instructed to keep the luggage just inside the room. Not wanting a huge breakfast buffet at the hotel (or the big bill), I found a Chik-fil-A that was just a few minutes from the hotel (in the opposite direction of where we walked yesterday).
It was a cool morning but sunny. We ordered at the counter and had planned to eat in their upstairs dining room, but it was closed for cleaning. We could have taken our coffees and chicken biscuits back to the hotel but just decided to eat at the outdoor tables. It was a busy place with people in and out with their orders.
Our luggage was being picked up as we returned to the room. Our instructions said to come down to the lobby area at 10:30 to ensure that our luggage had arrived in the Ballroom. Okay. At 10:30, I did that and found our 3 pieces in the Blue section as promised.
We had already been told that embarkation would be delayed today because of a mandatory Coast Guard inspection of the ship so we knew our arrival was going to be later than usual. All of us assembled in the Ballroom at 11:15 to wait for our busses. One bus came (not ours), and the rest were stuck in traffic (of course).
Once our bus came and the luggage started to be rolled out on carts and loaded, I could see that one of our bags was not with the others. Chuck brought it to the attention of the representative who assured him that all were on. My Apple airtag said otherwise. We insisted it was not and he said he would double-check the hotel ballroom. A few minutes later my airtag locator said the last bag was with me. Wonder if the other people who also had luggage on that last cart knew how close we came to leaving without it.
We got to the terminal about 1:00 and were faced with a very long line. We also had to wait for porters to get our luggage off the bus. (Tip – flash some cash and your luggage will get grabbed by the porters first). Obviously, the inspection was taking far longer than expected. It took another hour for us to get on the ship and there were many people behind us. Not a great start and we weren’t going to be leaving at 3:00.
We are in the turn of the line – people with their backs to us are in front of us – people facing us are behind us.
We had a very small inside cabin for these two trips. Since these cruises were casino-comped, we would make do. We could have taken some upsell offers but because the cruise was full, the offers were not worth the money they wanted (in our opinion).
We left our backpacks in the room, and we went to our muster station to be checked in. Very quick. Just don’t know why people wait until the last minute to get it done. I would be embarrassed if my name had to be called over the loudspeaker.
We went to the Sea View area. None of the sailaway activities had started so I went to the Dining Reservation desk to make our complimentary Pinnacle Grill and Canaletto dinner reservations. I met back up with Chuck and we went back to the room to check on luggage arrival. The bags had been delivered so we got those unpacked while watching the safety video on the TV (your TV won’t work unless you watch the video first). Also got to meet our room stewards – Raja and Joshem – and complete the Canadian customs form.
By the time we got back to the Sea View area, the sailaway activities had started.
Because we had such an early breakfast and didn’t really eat lunch due to the crowded Lido Buffet (HAL has stopped the sit-down embarkation Mariner lunch which is a big disappointment to me), we were ready for an early dinner. We opted for the steak dinner in the Lido. We got there early enough that they would grill your steak to your specifications. Later in the evening, you would have to choose among the ones that were ready. Both of our steaks were excellent.
By the time we finished, the Casino was open. Chuck was supposed to get some free casino play money on this first leg of the cruise but, according to their paperwork, “he wasn’t on the list.” However, according to my paperwork, he most definitely was supposed to be on the list. He got his free play money.
We had some slot fun playing old favorites “Wonder Woman” and “Devil’s Lock” and some new ones “Dancing Drums” and “Fortune Harmony.”
After listening and dancing to three sets of the Rolling Stone Lounge Band, we called it a night.
Another restless night. Just couldn’t get my temperature right. Too hot and then too cold. Air conditioning? Hormones? Whatever – I just know I spent most of the night either pulling the covers up or kicking them off. I just got up at 5:30. That’s when the fun started.
To try and not wake up Chuck, I closed the door to the bathroom to take my shower. Not sure what happened but the lights suddenly went out just as I was shampooing. Pitch dark. I was very glad I didn’t trip or slip as I got to the light switch. The switch was outside of the bathroom. It went off again when I was toweling off. We finally decided the lights were on some sort of motion sensor from the outside of the room. Not a great design and so noted on the review.
After a decent free breakfast buffet, we caught the hotel shuttle at 9:00 back to the airport. With a combination of the outside luggage drop-off, TSA precheck, CLEAR, and our gate being at the Delta T concourse, we were at our gate at 9:40 even with Chuck’s backpack having to go down the “naughty” lane to be reviewed by the Agent. May be a record.
We took off promptly at 11:50. It was a little bit of a rough ride. I watched The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare. It was much better than I expected.
We arrived at Boston at 2:15. Beautiful, sunny day. Once we retrieved our luggage, we found the Holland America (HAL) representative, and she called the company that was going to take us to the hotel.
The last time we were in Boston, I made a reservation at the Downtown Hilton because it was close to the start of the Freedom Trail, and I had a lot of points. We took Uber to the hotel. Since we were not spending any extra days in Boston this time, and I found that the HAL-sponsored hotel was very close in price to all the others I checked, I booked with them. The cost also included transportation to the hotel from the airport and then to the ship the next day.
We walked to the car pick-up area and the town car driver was waiting. The Friday afternoon traffic was very slow. The driver said the road/tunnel construction and the Red Sox having a home game that day were combining to make a bad traffic day. I don’t think I have ever come to Boston when there wasn’t road construction.
We were staying at the Fairmont Copley Plaza in the Back Bay area of Boston. The outside plaza is still being renovated but the hotel itself wasn’t terribly affected. Our room was ready, and it was nice. But hotel entrance was beautiful.
We walked around a few blocks just to stretch our legs and do a little sight-seeing and people-watching. There was a farmer’s market on the plaza of the public library.
Boston Public LibraryJohn Hancock TowerTrinity Church
We ate an early dinner at Solas Irish Pub. There were some enthusiastic Red Sox fans at the bar. I never did find out if the team won that night. I had a bowl of clam chowder, homemade potato chips, and an Irish cider. Chuck had a cuban sandwich, french fries, and beer. With tip, almost $100. Crazy.
We had to have the bags ready to be picked up by HAL by 8:00 the next morning so we had an early evening. I got the bags tagged with the cruise luggage tags. Getting closer to sail-away.
